Prospect committee reviews master plan for "head property," consultants point to TIF financing and green-space protections

Robert Jacob, chairman of the Prospect City Architectural Review Committee, opened the joint committee–council meeting at 4:10 p.m. and the group approved the minutes for the prior meeting without recorded roll call.

Mayor Doug Farnsley introduced the final version of a master plan for the city’s undeveloped head property and turned the presentation over to consultant Jim Brainard, the former mayor of Carmel, Indiana, who said the plan aims to create a traditional downtown of three-to-five‑story mixed‑use buildings, a town green and concealed parking so surface lots do not dominate the site. "Why can't we have a traditional downtown?" Brainard asked, adding that slightly taller buildings can generate the tax revenue needed to pay for underground or hidden garages.

Brainard and the planning team outlined several core elements: a new street grid to create human‑scale blocks, an amphitheater and public building at the site’s focal point, preservation of specimen trees identified by a recent tree survey, and routing a share of the site as green space. The team emphasized the plan is a massing study—showing where buildings, parking and utilities would sit—and said detailed architecture would come later during individual development reviews.

On financing, Brainard described the use of tax‑increment financing (TIF) to borrow against anticipated increases in property tax revenue from new construction and use that revenue to pay for parking garages, streets and public amenities. He said zoning changes and a fiscal analysis are needed before a developer is likely to close on the site and that multiple public hearings and technical approvals remain.

Committee members and councilors asked questions about local context and environmental protections. Committee member Herb Schulhaver, who said he has an architecture background, praised the plan’s housing variety and said it fits nearby development patterns. Council member Dr. Christian Ferman pressed the team on wildlife and floodplain treatment; Brainard and staff replied the plan preserves substantial green areas and that the master planners reviewed federal and local flood charts to avoid building in the most flood‑prone zones.

Kristen Forest, president and CEO of Riverfields, urged the city to protect the floodplain and its ecology and to include a landscape architect on the design team. "We care very deeply about the flood plane and the ecology of the flood plane, the integrity of the flood plane," she said, urging a transparent public process. Residents who signed up to speak included Phil Stucker, who said he supports the concept and requested additional HOA briefings.

Wes Johnson of WCOT Development, whose company holds a contract on the head property, identified himself as a Prospect resident and said he has experienced flooding at his house, stressing that the project team will hire specialists—landscape architects, engineers and fiscal advisors—and continue outreach. He said printed and digital copies of the 60‑plus page plan are available at City Hall and linked on the city website.

The city took no formal action on the council level during the meeting; the committee suggested it may take action at a later date. After public comment and committee discussion, members moved and seconded a motion to adjourn; the meeting concluded with an invitation for attendees to continue informal conversations with staff.

Next procedural steps identified by staff and consultants include preparing zoning‑code amendments, conducting fiscal and engineering studies to size any TIF bond, refining the tree and floodplain inventories and holding additional public hearings before any development approvals or land closings occur.